290 A NATURALIST'S WANDERINGS 



attire ; the men in badjoa (a sort of blouse) and trousers of 

 Llnck glazed calico, and the women in black sarongs (petticoat) 

 and kabaias (a loose tunic with sleeves). Their demeanour wus 

 becomiijgly grave and solemn, like their dress. The j>arsou, 

 however, looked an odd figure in a white tie, a European 

 dress-coat never made for him, black pants of tmcertain age, 

 and a tall narrow-rimmed beaver hat. Their church was fitted 

 np like a Dutch or a Scottish country kirk, and had been 

 entirely erected by the villagers, who, according to custom, 

 each contributed their share of its cost in labour or materiid. 



On arrival at Paso, we found the Rajah (the chief of the 

 village, an official appointed by the Government without any 

 territorial possession) preparing to leave for a week to attend 

 some great native lestival in a neighbouring village, but he 

 has kindly offered ua a room in his house. He remembers i^fr. 

 Wallace, who visited Paso in the time of bis father (who wtis 

 also Eajab), Beccari, I^Iaeleay, and the officers of the diaUengery 

 who had all ocenpieil his bouse, he informs us. 



Maij loth. Tbe Riijab, and a great part of the villagei-a with 

 bim, left this forenoon. The last thing done before starting 

 was to rake and tidy the space in front of the church, *' for if 

 proper respect were not paid to Tuan Allah, perhaps some mis- 

 fortune might befall one or other of the praus." The iinal 

 start for the boats was made from the church door. Their 

 belief in the aveuging nature of the deity is very strong. 



A SiroUlaniheH hedge-girt path in front of the Rajah s 

 house leads straight to the Bay of Baguala, along the isthmus, 

 which is nothing but a sandhank recently raised from the sea. 

 Along the S.E. shore of Leytimor I ok^erve precipitous 

 cliffs of coral from 200 to 300 feet in height m sittiy indicating 

 a considerable amount of elevation. The Bay of Baguala is at 

 this season very calm, but a month hence the natives say tbe 

 monsoon will have changed, and it will be difficult for boats to 

 come in. Now, however, the scene is a very lively one at all 

 hours of the day, for the traders bringing sago-meal, fish and 

 fruits from Ceram, Sapania, Xusadau and the N,E. shores of 

 Amboina are hurrying before the change of weather to bring 

 over their produce to Amboina, and get back again with theij 

 exchanges. On jirriving in the Baguala Bay their UmU have 

 to be aJl unloadf (1. and dragged over tbe narrow isthmus into a 



